Monday, August 2, 2010

New Prison Health Care Facility Will Add Jobs for Region and Provide Treatment for Inmates

STOCKTON – The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and California Prison Health Care Services (CPHCS) today signed an agreement with Stockton area leaders to construct a 1,722-bed inmate medical facility, to be called the California Health Care Facility-Stockton. It will be built on the site of the former Karl Holton Youth Correctional Facility, southeast of the City of Stockton.

“We are very pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement on this historic health care project,” said federal Receiver J. Clark Kelso. “This will provide much needed economic growth for the county and efficient health care services for CDCR inmates. It brings California one step closer to complying with federal court orders for inmate health care.”

Construction activities will support nearly 5,500 jobs in the regional economy, including up to 1,700 construction workers per day on site. When completed, the facility will create more than 2,400 civil servant jobs and infuse an estimated $220 million annually into the San Joaquin County economy.

Under the agreement, the county could receive $1 million in sales tax revenue from construction equipment and supplies.

The 1,722-bed medical facility will be designed to treat physically and mentally ill state prison inmates. Construction will begin in 2010 and is expected to be completed within three years. Security will include a 13-foot tall lethal electrified fence surrounding the facility and a 24-hour roving patrol, among other features.

The Receiver is charged with bringing the level of health care to a constitutional standard for 165,000 inmates in 33 prisons statewide.

For information on CPHCS, please see http://www.cphcs.ca.gov/. For more information on the California Health Care Facility-Stockton construction project, please see this link: http://www.cphcs.ca.gov/project_const.aspx